Occupational Safety and Health Programme

In the Tenth National Economic and Social Development Plan, the Government of Thailand

    focus on ‘Human’ as center of development efforts. Three main elements are accentuated: sufficiency economic, sustainable development, long – term planning vision spanning the next 20 years to provide ‘change management’

    Many OSH programmes have been launched to contribute the achievement of those objectives, and the overall goal of creating safer and better workplaces.

National Safety Week

    National Safety Week has been organized annually since 1986. A number of events are organized at a convention centre during National Safety Week including a prize-giving recognizing companies which have achieved high standards of safety; and individuals who have contributed to safety promotion, safety and health seminars and safety exhibitions. In recent years, some 2,000 people attended the seminar, while over 30,000 visited the exhibition. National Safety Week activities were expanded to reach the provincial level in the name of the Regional Safety Week. Each year 5 provinces will be selected as the host of the event.

Sustainable OSH Programme

    In late 1996, the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare launched its Sustainable OSH Programme to promote the establishment of OSH management systems at the enterprise level through the organization of training and guidance programmes for enterprises. The programme approach was modified in 1998 to focus more intensely on the enforcement of the basic elements of the OSH management system which are required by legislation - including ensuring safety committees and safety officers are working properly. Under the current programme, selected employers together with safety officers and worker representatives are invited to the labour inspection office to explain there OSH management system to the inspectors. Many labour inspectors are mobilized for this programme with technical support from the National Institute for the Improvement of Working Conditions and Environment (NICE) and its regional centres (RICEs). This programme supplements on-site inspection office to ensure compliance with basic OSH requirements. It is particularly concerned with requirements related to the establishment and functioning ofOSH management systems at the enterprise level, and their functions.

OSH Promotion Campaign among High-risk Industries

   In order to decrease the rates of workplace accidents and injuries in the long run, the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare has launched a programme on Reduction of Workplace Accidents and Injuries in 16 High-risk Industries. The program was initiated under the concept of labour officer development. Specific training would be conducted for government OSH inspectors in order to improve their work efficiency as well as knowledge and skill in inspection at such industries.

    The achievement of the programme, as well as critical success factors such as work performance and work efficiency of labour inspectors would be closely reviewed and evaluated. In addition, key performance indexes have been established for measurement of outputs and outcomes under the programme.

Zero Accident Campaign Programme

    Since the year 2000, the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare has launched the Zero Accident Campaign Programme. This aims at OSH promotion and to encourage and the enterprises to develop their occupational safety and health management system or prevention and control of occupational accidents and diseases. As of Feb. 2008, there are 266 enterprises joins this programme while 226 of this number have received the certificate from the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare.

In order to receive the above certificate, an enterprise must achieve the following criteria:
- No case of accident in a specified period, no lost time accident within one year; 
- No lost time accident within one million work hours up to less than three million work hours; 
- No lost time accident within three million work hours up to less than ten million work hours; and 
- No lost time accident within more than ten million work hours. <<Link...Criteria of Zero Accident Campaign>>

OSH Information Dissemination

     Ocuputional Safety and Health Bureau (OSH Bureau) concerned government institutions have been disseminating various kinds of practical OSH information documents for more than a decade. However, the development of new types of information sheets has been limited in recent years. The OSH Bureau also answers enquires from and provides advice and support to safety officers, managers and workers in industry. The library of the OSH Bureau is open to the public,making a variety of books available.

     The world wide web has become a significant OSH information source, and an efficient information sharing tool. The OSH Bureau and other concerned agencies have all developed websites on OSH www.oshthai.org these sites provide information on relevant laws and regulations, statistics and services available from each institution.